Computer, Restaurant Sectors Still Top-Rated U.S. Industries

Story Highlights

About six in 10 Americans view computer and restaurant industries positively

Agriculture, grocery and travel industries also well-regarded

Federal government and pharmaceutical industry are least well-regarded

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Of 25 industry sectors in the U.S., the computer and restaurant industries roughly tie for being the most well-regarded by the American public. Both have net image scores at or near the +50 mark, the result of being viewed positively by about 60% of Americans and negatively by 10%. Two other food-related industries -- farming and agriculture, and grocers -- combine with travel to round out the top-five sectors, with net positive scores ranging from +35 to +38.

Americans' Views of U.S. Business Industry Sectors, 2018

For each of the following business sectors in the United States, please say whether your overall view of it is very positive, somewhat positive, neutral, somewhat negative or very negative.

Total positive

Neutral

Total negative

Net positive

%

%

%

Computer industry

60

28

10

50

Restaurant industry

58

31

10

48

Farming and agriculture

56

24

18

38

Grocery industry

53

27

18

35

Travel industry

50

35

13

37

Retail industry

48

31

20

28

Automobile industry

47

33

19

28

Accounting

39

46

12

27

Real estate industry

46

32

21

25

Publishing industry

43

34

20

23

Airline industry

43

31

24

19

Internet industry

45

26

27

18

Telephone industry

41

34

25

16

Electric and gas utilities

42

28

29

13

Banking

42

28

29

13

Sports industry

42

27

30

12

Movie industry

40

28

29

11

Television and radio industry

40

26

32

8

Education

44

17

38

6

Advertising and public relations industry

35

31

32

3

The legal field

34

30

34

0

Oil and gas industry

31

23

44

-13

Healthcare industry

34

18

48

-14

Pharmaceutical industry

30

16

53

-23

The federal government

26

19

53

-27

Gallup, Aug. 1-12

The least well-regarded sector in the country is the federal government, with only 26% viewing it positively and 53% negatively, for an image score of -27. The next-lowest-ranked industries are all viewed favorably by about a third of Americans, but their negative ratings differ, resulting in net image scores ranging from -23 for the pharmaceutical industry and -14 for healthcare to +3 for the advertising and public relations industry.

The remaining 14 sectors are all viewed positively by at least 39% of Americans, well offsetting the percentage viewing them negatively, and resulting in positive image scores of between +6 and +28.

Gallup has tracked Americans' overall impressions of 24 business and industry sectors each August since 2001, while the federal government was added to the list in 2003. This year's results are from Gallup's annual Work and Education poll, conducted Aug. 1-12.

Computers and restaurants have consistently found themselves at or near the top of the list over the years, while the federal government's position at the bottom is fairly recent. From 2001 to 2010, the oil and gas industry ranked last or about tied for last with either the legal industry (in 2002 and 2003) or the real estate industry (in 2008). The oil and gas industry rating has become less negative as gas prices have been lower in recent years.

Average Ratings Down From 2017, but on Par With Long-Term Trend

This year's scores are lower for most industries than they were in 2017. Thus, the average positive score for the 25 business and industry sectors measured is now 43%, versus 49% last year. However, the 2017 figure was unusually high.

Today's average is similar to the figures from 2012 through 2016, as well as to the long-term average. Americans' impression of the sectors was lower from 2008 through 2011 -- recession and post-recession years -- when the positive scores averaged 34% to 39%.

When factoring in the negative as well as positive scores for each industry, the overall average net positive score this year is +15, compared with +23 for 2017 and +12 since 2001.

Internet and Computer Ratings Down Sharply Since 2017

Positive perceptions of the internet and computer industries fell sharply in the past year, in part because both had spiked in 2017. However, this year's declines, which may relate to negative attention the digital industry has recently received over users' privacy and the flow of news content on the internet, more than offset that rise.

The internet's image -- 45% rate it positively -- is now the lowest since 2004, and the computer industry's 60% is the lowest since 2010.

Partisan Lens Colors Many Industry Ratings

Aside from expected differences in Republicans' and Democrats' ratings of the federal government, the two party groups give divergent ratings to certain business sectors.

Republicans, including independents who lean Republican, are much more likely than Democrats and Democratic leaners to view the oil and gas industry, farming and agriculture, real estate, banking, and electric and gas utilities favorably.

Republicans give slightly higher positive ratings than Democrats do to another 10 industries, while Democrats are more positive than Republicans on just four -- all related in some way to media: the publishing industry, the movie industry, television and radio, and sports.

Notably, Republicans' current tendency to be more positive than Democrats about industries is consistent with the long-term pattern of Republicans feeling more positive when a Republican is president and Democrats being more positive under a Democratic president.

Republicans' average industry ratings were higher than Democrats' throughout George W. Bush's presidency, from 2001 to 2008.

Similarly, Democrats' average industry ratings were higher than Republicans' for most years from 2009 to 2016, spanning Barack Obama's presidency.

Bottom Line

Americans' overall ratings of the major sectors that drive the economy are down somewhat from a year ago, but the rank order remains similar. Computers and anything related to food continue to be rated the most positively by Americans. The federal government and two medical-related fields -- the healthcare industry and pharmaceuticals -- are rated the most negatively.

Different industries' ratings vary from year to year depending on their prominence -- good or bad -- in the news, such as the real estate industry and banking industries from 2008 to 2012 and the auto industry in 2009. More broadly, Republicans' and Democrats' views of industries are shaded by who is president, with each feeling more positive on average when their own party is in power. That pattern rides beneath the surface, however, not generally altering the overall ratings. The long-term trend in Americans' perceptions of all 24 industries is fairly flat, save for a dip during the recession and an unusual spike in 2017.

Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted Aug. 1-12, 2018, with a random sample of 1,024 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. For results based on the total sample of national adults, the margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. All reported margins of sampling error include computed design effects for weighting.

Each sample of national adults includes a minimum quota of 70% cellphone respondents and 30% landline respondents, with additional minimum quotas by time zone within region. Landline and cellular telephone numbers are selected using random-digit-dial methods.